DANISH HARMONICA PLAYER LEE OSKAR ONCE A MEMBER OF WAR...HAUNTED HOUSE

Rare and coveted disco 12" release on Elektra from 1978, Lee Oskar's Haunted House is very cool.  I just sold mine a few weeks ago to a happy Italian collector.  But luckily I had another copy, check it out HERE

Though born in Copenhagen Lee moved to the U.S. and was one of the founding members of the seminal funk band War.  GRAB IT

Pieces of a Dream I LIKE THE WARM WEATHER

I do like the Warm Weather. I do like a jazzy funky groove too. This Pieces of a Dream classic featuring Barbara Walker combines it just right. Produced by Grover Washington Jr. how could you expect less then smooth?

MT. AIRY



This Philadelphia based jazz fusion group first broke with the sublime Mt. Airy Groove, 1982.
Mt. Airy is a break dance classic. Combining Jazz, Funk, Electro and Disco it became a track that was sampled often for it's funky breaks.



I've posted this blog again adding a couple more tracks for your listening pleasure.

Custom Search

PIDGIN ENGLISH FELA STYLE UPSIDE DOWN edit

I don't know a lot about Nigerian revolutionary Fela Anikulapo Kuti but I do know that he is one of the most important afro music luminaries of the twentieth century. A buddy of mine at university back in the mid 80's told me that his music was very influential on dance floors in Ibiza. This buddy who was one of my first introductions to the "jet set" was likely telling it like it is. Italian dj Daniele "Cosmic" Baldelli used to play Fela in his sets at baia degli angeli the seminal 70's Italian disco near Pesaro. Cosmic often played sets of Afro and World music. Afrobeat which was Fela's style of music is a mixture of jazz, funk, rock and traditional African chants and rhythms. Now that's a mouthful!

My two copies were sold in my Ebay store. They sold for a lofty price so it could safely be noted that this 1976 12" release is rather scarce. Fela Ransome Kuti recorded under a multitude of names. This release was under the moniker Fela Anikulapo Kuti and Africa 70.

flipside edit

Here's a fascinating documentary.









Fela Kuti died of Kaposi's Sarcoma on August 2, 1997.

Bobbi Humphrey LOVE WHEN I'M IN YOUR ARMS and more

Produced by Ralph MacDonald of Calypso Breakdown fame, Love When I'm in Your Arms Bobbi Humphrey's 1979 disco 12" release is a disco joyous romp. Lots of tasty percussion and breaks. A real zippy funky throw-down.

Bobbi Humphrey is actually know for her jazz work as a flautist who worked with Stevie Wonder and Duke Ellington among others. She performed on Another Star, one of the best tracks on the Stevie Wonder double l.p. Songs in the Key of Life. She was also the first female signed to the seminal jazz label Blue Note.

LOVE WHEN I'M IN YOUR ARMS

BABY DON'T YOU KNOW

Her next 12" single effort came in 1982 with the mighty production by Roy Ayers for the seminal underground funky disco label Uno Melodic. The one which brought us Ladies of the 80's and the illustrious Sylvia Striplin. This time Bobbi wrote, arranged and co-produced the number, Baby Don't You Know.

HEAR A HOT RE-WORK

http://www.bobbihumphrey.net/home.html

I've just posted my 12" for Love when I'm in Your Arms on Ebay. You can get to the link just by clicking the title of this blog.   It was released in 1979  on Epic. Here's her song Sunset Burgundy.

ALWAYS THERE the disco holy grail

The original 12" of Always There came out on Fantasy Records in 1976. It was by Side Effect and has become one of the major disco holy grails often fetching hundreds of dollars on Ebay, discogs, musicstack, etc. if you can even find it.

In 1978 it was covered by latin jazz percussionist Willie Bobo. This is the version that is now even more coveted then the Side Effect original.

http://www.mediafire.com/?tnma2yziejd

I'd have to admit that I discovered these versions working backwards cause when I was in New York clubbing and partying we had the fabulous version by Incognito featuring Jocelyn Brown which came out in 1991 and then was re-visited with re-mixes in 1996. Those were posted in old night by the way.

Counter Stats

gold coast office lease Counter

Pieces of a Dream featuring Barbara Walker

I do like the Warm Weather. I do like a jazzy funky groove too. This Pieces of a Dream classic featuring Barbara Walker combines it just right. Produced by Grover Washington Jr. how could you expect less then smooth?




This Philadelphia based jazz fusion group first broke with the sublime Mt. Airy Groove, 1982.
Mt. Airy is a break dance classic. Combining Jazz, Funk, Electro and Disco it became a track that was sampled often for it's funky breaks.


MT. AIRY

I LOVE IT, TRUSSEL MASTERPIECE

Trussel was a funk group from Petersburg, Virginia who had one l.p. release in 1980 on Elektra Records. It featured the infectious disco throw-down Love Injection. But the real prize on it was I Love It. A few years back it was included on the superb cd series Azuli Presents, this one featuring Derrick L. Carter, Choice: A Collection of Classics. Since re-discovering it, it has been consistently one of my most played tracks in iTunes.

It is simply just not your typical disco or funk tune. Not even a dollop of cheese on this one. It's a veritable house party in itself. The production work by Fred Wesley, who formerly had collaborated with the Ike and Tina Turner Review, James Brown and Funkadelic is adventurous and far from commercial sounding. Around this time Fred Wesley also came out with a major Loft classic with his own House Party 12" on RSO records. It was featured on Nuphonic records Loft Classics Volume 2 compilation. But back to I Love It cause hot damn I just love it so much!

It just has to be heard to be understood. Do help yourself to the download.

LISTEN TO TRUSSEL

The breaks are on fire on this track. In fact by about five and a half minutes in it turns into a full-stop jazz funk jam session. The lead singer starts a frenzied insane scat and then the hook just repeats over and over:
I Love It
I Love Only You
I Love It
And The Things That You Do
I Love It
I Love Only You
I Love It
And The Things That You Do....That You Do....That You Do...That You Do

Truly a disco funk jazz odyssey. This love mantra just keeps repeating until it fades out but by then you should love it too.

If you enjoy my blog please click on the ads.